The Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) has urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to publicly clarify comments she made about the Arabic name "Jihad", warning they risk fuelling hostility against British Arabs.
Following Thursday's fatal attack on a Manchester synagogue, Mahmood told LBC she was "surprised" to learn the attacker's name was Jihad al-Shamie, saying: "As a Muslim, I've never heard someone being called Jihad."
In a statement on Saturday, Caabu Director Chris Doyle stressed that Jihad was a common name across the Arab world, used by both Muslims and Christians, and that Mahmood's comments could make those carrying the name a target for abuse.
"Several have reached out to Caabu, fearful of the impact of your words, that what you said has inadvertently put them at risk from retaliatory attacks and abuse," Doyle said.
He cited public figures including IMF official Jihad Azour, Hollywood actor Jihad Abdo and former Syrian diplomat Jihad Makdisi to illustrate the name's widespread use, adding that the term signifies striving or effort rather than violence.
Doyle warned that some Arabs already feel pressured to alter their names to avoid prejudice, and called for Mahmood to issue an immediate and public clarification.
"The last thing we need is any further hate attacks or abuse," he said.
Mahmood's remarks came as she condemned pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London and Manchester held in the aftermath of the attack, telling protestors to "step back".
Protests calling for the urgent end to the Gaza genocide and the release of flotilla activists abducted by Israeli naval forces as they tried to deliver aid to the besieged enclave are planned in both London and Manchester on Saturday.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said pro-Palestinian protests planned for this weekend will cause "distress" and urged those thinking of taking part to "recognise and respect the grief of British Jews" after Thursday's synagogue attack.
"It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain," the prime minister wrote in the Jewish Chronicle.
Defend Our Jurie, which has led demonstrations against the ban on Palestine Action, said it had planned to go ahead with the march.
A spokesperson for the protest group said that "cancelling peaceful protests lets terror win".